Whilst it is true that we see children drinking in public, this law change will not address that issue - as this is already illegal. Making alcohol 'forbidden' will increase it's attractiveness. If we really want to tackle the binge drinking culture, then a more continental model is the way to go. In france, it is commonplace to have a glass of wine with a meal, and the children often have some diluted wine - why would we criminalise this?

There may be an argument for criminalising the rare parent who says 'here's a bottle of vodka, go and get pissed' - but the proposed law change would also criminalise the parent who is trying to educate their children and avoid binge drinking at the age of 18.

The law change could be counter-productive, as instead of reducing binge drinking, when inevitably children do get their hands on the alcohol they'll drink a lot of it in a short time - and that'll become the norm for them.